To the armchair -- and actual -- investigators on here... Can you crack this CADOR?
I'm currently researching unusual observations in Canadian airspace. I'm pretty sure I know what's happening in this in Dec. 26, 2019 incident. HINT: it's not Santa and his reindeer heading home. What do you think?
The crew of a Jazz Bombardier CL-600-2D24 (JZA8041) on a flight from Chicago/O'Hare, IL (KORD) to Vancouver Int'l, BC (CYVR) and an Air Canada Airbus A320 (ACA244) on a flight from Vancouver Int'l, BC (CYVR) to Edmonton Int'l, AB (CYEG) reported sighting up to 2 dozen evenly-spaced bright objects in a line, travelling quickly at an altitude above their aircraft. North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) and Aviation Operations Centre (AVOPS) advised.
Starlink Satellites. As a Tower controller I received a call about something similar from a person on the ground. Reported it as I'm supposed to but thought they were crazy until I saw some tweets on twitter about it later that evening.
I use starlink , google their tracking. They actually have what the call "trains" which is a series of satellites following each other fairly close together.
The service is outstanding and is blowing the socks off shaw and bell in my area.
Starlink indeed! Around the time they first launched, the RCMP and NORAD both saw a big spike in UFO reports. It just makes one wonder how many strange sights are misinterpreted due to a lack of information.
I have a few more cases that I plan to share with AvCanada over the coming days. I imagine aviation professionals such as yourselves will be able to easily demystify a handful that seem truly puzzling to me!
daniel.o wrote: ↑Thu Mar 04, 2021 3:37 pm
Starlink indeed! Around the time they first launched, the RCMP and NORAD both saw a big spike in UFO reports. It just makes one wonder how many strange sights are misinterpreted due to a lack of information.
All of them. Even the floaters in my 40 year old eyeballs.
daniel.o wrote: ↑Thu Mar 04, 2021 3:37 pm
I have a few more cases that I plan to share with AvCanada over the coming days. I imagine aviation professionals such as yourselves will be able to easily demystify a handful that seem truly puzzling to me!
Just as a foot note, starlink actually turned the brightness down, possibly from "chicken little" effect but they had some excuse about blocking out the night sky.
valleyboy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 04, 2021 9:15 pm
Just as a foot note, starlink actually turned the brightness down, possibly from "chicken little" effect but they had some excuse about blocking out the night sky.
As an avid amateur astronomer (nothing fancy, just a shaky camera tripod with a child's telescope that can see Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons from my backyard), I can assure you it's not a "chicken little" effect. A single satellite passing though your field of view can blind you. Those satellites would have seriously fucked up the night skies, and seriously affected amateur astronomy for the remainder of time. It wasn't given enough consideration.
And you would be surprised how important amateur astronomy actually is.
They would have changed the skies forever, and Mr. Musk was a slight bit too trigger happy.
Indeed, and yes that was the complaint but this is just a meagre beginning. When you start talking about 100,000 satellites I have to wonder how they are going to be able to launch vehicles through that communications blanket.
Having said all that it is a boon for remote areas, Canada has a few, My town has had "high speed" internet for many years but no fibre and small population. Bell service has not improved since then. Shaw started offering cable service and it was very unreliable. Starlink has improved my service many times over. It's the future.
valleyboy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 04, 2021 9:15 pm
Just as a foot note, starlink actually turned the brightness down, possibly from "chicken little" effect but they had some excuse about blocking out the night sky.
As an avid amateur astronomer (nothing fancy, just a shaky camera tripod with a child's telescope that can see Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons from my backyard), I can assure you it's not a "chicken little" effect. A single satellite passing though your field of view can blind you. Those satellites would have seriously fucked up the night skies, and seriously affected amateur astronomy for the remainder of time. It wasn't given enough consideration.
And you would be surprised how important amateur astronomy actually is.
They would have changed the skies forever, and Mr. Musk was a slight bit too trigger happy.
You mean like Iridium flares that can go all the way to half the brightness of the Moon if you take a direct hit?
valleyboy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 04, 2021 9:15 pm
Just as a foot note, starlink actually turned the brightness down, possibly from "chicken little" effect but they had some excuse about blocking out the night sky.
As an avid amateur astronomer (nothing fancy, just a shaky camera tripod with a child's telescope that can see Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons from my backyard), I can assure you it's not a "chicken little" effect. A single satellite passing though your field of view can blind you. Those satellites would have seriously fucked up the night skies, and seriously affected amateur astronomy for the remainder of time. It wasn't given enough consideration.
And you would be surprised how important amateur astronomy actually is.
They would have changed the skies forever, and Mr. Musk was a slight bit too trigger happy.
You mean like Iridium flares that can go all the way to half the brightness of the Moon if you take a direct hit?
Iridium flares only lasted a few seconds (afaik they're history now, I haven't looked it up in a while). I got blinded by one through a telescope some years ago. If Starlink's satellites are similar I'll retract my statement, but I don't believe they are.
It can also be argued that Iridium flares should never have been allowed to happen, for the same reasons.
daniel.o wrote: ↑Thu Mar 04, 2021 11:32 am
To the armchair -- and actual -- investigators on here... Can you crack this CADOR?
I'm currently researching unusual observations in Canadian airspace. I'm pretty sure I know what's happening in this in Dec. 26, 2019 incident. HINT: it's not Santa and his reindeer heading home. What do you think?
The crew of a Jazz Bombardier CL-600-2D24 (JZA8041) on a flight from Chicago/O'Hare, IL (KORD) to Vancouver Int'l, BC (CYVR) and an Air Canada Airbus A320 (ACA244) on a flight from Vancouver Int'l, BC (CYVR) to Edmonton Int'l, AB (CYEG) reported sighting up to 2 dozen evenly-spaced bright objects in a line, travelling quickly at an altitude above their aircraft. North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) and Aviation Operations Centre (AVOPS) advised.
